


Sick Euphoria

by sponsored_by_Adderall



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alcohol, Also kind of, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Ancestors (Homestuck), Band member Gamzee, Band member Karkat, Band member Sollux, Band member Tavros, Band member Vriska, Butters Stotch cameo, Character Death, Depression, Eridan Ampora makes bad decisions, Eridan and Feferi are poor, Eridan works at a cafe, Erisol doesn't really kick off 'till halfway through, Hemoswap, Humanstuck, Karkat is dating someone, Like, M/M, Minor Sollux Captor/Feferi Peixes, Multi, Multi-Arc, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Strong Language, Suicidal Thoughts, You decide who, a lot of cussing, depressed eridan, focuses more on the plot than the romance, is losing friends, kind of, they dress up as the Ancestors
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-05-20 23:57:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14904608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sponsored_by_Adderall/pseuds/sponsored_by_Adderall
Summary: Feferi, Eridan's best friend and longtime crush, becomes obsessed with a new band. The Ancestors. In an attempt to please her and make her fall for him, Eridan buys her tickets to one of their concerts. He hopes that this plan will work and Feferi might date him.Unfortunately, hope has never really gone well for Eridan; especially not when a certain lisping synth player is thrown into the mix.In essence, an Erisol fic where Eridan gets himself into quite the sticky, overwhelming, depressing situation. Or two.





	1. Eridan > go about business as usual.

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is the first fic I've ever written. I started this after a poll on the Homestuck Amino (my username is  
> Hipster$on if you want to follow :p) and I'm quite enjoying it. I plan on carrying this to the end, and I already have every chapter planned out, so we'll see how it goes. Constructive criticism is welcome, but don't be an ass. Also, I apologize for the cliche title, I'm terrible at naming things (as you'll come to find out)
> 
> The first chapter is mainly just introductions and shit. The story ramps up a couple chapters in, then really dives into the thick of it around chapter 10.
> 
> Thanks for reading, and I sincerely hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it!

"Fef, you  _knoww_ I hate it wwhen you talk about them. Wwhich is alwways." Eridan, a young ginger man, gave his best friend a pointed look. As he spoke, he lazily waved around his fork, on the end of which was an uneaten bite of salad. His friend, a short, sweet girl named Feferi, had been talking about her new favorite band. Again. Really it was all she ever talked about these days. Eridan was, frankly, tired of hearing about it. The way she talked about it, he wasn't even sure if it was the music itself that she was into. Less the music, more the members.

Her shoulders sagged. "I know Eridan. Trust me, I know." She perked up as soon as her words had finished. "They're just reely fintastic Eridan! All of them! Some of the things they do on stage are craysea! Like this one time, The Signless was lowered from the ceiling in cuffs and-" It was at that point that Eridan started to seriously tune out Feferi. He loved her, but good God could the woman talk. Normally he wouldn't mind her slightly pitchy excited chatter, but he was so fucking  _sick_ of hearing about The Ancestors.

He stuffed a bite of his rather plain salad into his mouth as he waited for a chance to get a word in edgeways. Maybe, you know, a word that wasn't about that band. Just cleanly Youth Roll his way into another conversation. Except for the fact that he wasn't exactly a kid anymore. Being twenty-two and shit. He rolled his eyes for what must have been the billionth time that conversation as Feferi jumped happily up and down in the booth she was sitting at. As much as he was finished hearing about Feferi's new favorite band, he was glad she was so happy. He liked it when she was happy. It was, with that reason firmly planted in the front of his mind, that he suffered through the rest of their meal. Suffered like the Signless. Good God, now he was even mentally making references to them. This was torture.

~*~

When his lunch break finally ended, Eridan wasn't sure if he felt happy or sad. On one hand, he didn't really want to leave Feferi and go back to work. On the other, she really had not let up on her ranting for their entire meal. Even after Eridan managed to pry her mind away from The Ancestors she babbled on rather loudly about other things. Not that he minded, it was just that she seemed especially hyped up today and Eridan really had no idea why. The air around her seemed to buzz with excitement. The type that warned you something was coming. The type that lingered even when you were away from the source.

It was this excitement that was on Eridan's mind as he deftly tied on his apron. He had literally no clue what could be waiting for Feferi and him in the imminent future. If there even was anything, that was. It could have just been Eridan's imagination. That was most likely the case now that he thought about it. Heaving a sigh, he left the locker room to stand behind the counter.

Eridan worked in a small, hardly known cafe that sat comfortably on the corner of 4th. It may not have been very well known, but all the people who did go there were pretty damn loyal. To the point where Eridan was on a first name basis with most of their customers. It wasn't the best job in the world, the pay wasn't great and some of the patrons were dicks, but Eridan liked it a lot more than many of the other jobs he had worked. He honestly should have looked for something with higher pay, but he couldn't really be bothered. Feferi always scolded him about it, considering how bad he needed the money, but he never got around to actually looking for a different job. Being a college student was hard enough as is, he wanted to at least somewhat enjoy his work.

~*~

"You look moderately distraught Eridan." The man in question jumped at the sudden voice. He craned his head around to see who had spoken.

Rose Lalonde. One of their less shitty customers. Although, she didn't really come for the coffee or the pastries.

"Jesus fuck. You scared the shit outta me." Her black lips quirked up in a sly smile. "I apologize. I can assure you, startling you was not my intention. Although your reactions are quite fascinating." Eridan huffed and crossed his arms. "So if sendin' me to the damn ER wwasn't your intention, wwhat wwas?" Rose strode lightly over to the counter, resting her elbows on its surface. "I was merely interested in how you're doing today. Your demeanour seems even more melancholy than usual. Whether or not that's naturally possible is what I'm trying to figure out." "Oh, can it wwith your sassy quips and ovver analyzin'. I'm perfectly fuckin' peachy." She arched a blond eyebrow at Eridan's statement. "I suppose it is possible that I misjudged your change in stance. Perhaps you're not downcast after all. You definitely have something on your mind though. Of that, at least, I am certain." "Yeah? And so wwhat if I do. It's none a' your fuckin' business anywway. Wwould you just order already?"

Just cause Rose was one of the cafe's 'less shitty' customers didn't mean Eridan liked her. She was always able to read him like an open book, and frankly, that terrified him. She was also super into the occult and dark magic, which Eridan wasn't fond of. Everyone knows magic's not real. Get it through your thick skull would you?

"Fine." She scanned the menu despite the fact that she had been coming to that particular cafe for more than long enough to have the thing memorized. Eridan was pretty sure she did it just to spite him. She did things like that a lot. Passive aggressive gestures to subtly spite people for no real reason. Something about a rough, most likely misinterpreted, childhood. "I'll have a dark roast, medium, and a cronut." Ah, cronuts, Eridan's least favorite kind of pastry. Rose insisted that she just got them because they reminded her of New York. Eridan suspected otherwise.

Eridan scowled at her and Rose's smile grew. "Could I also get one Maryam, please? I believe I have been rather lacking in those as of late. They are superbly beneficial to my health, so I might as well restore that particular quota." Eridan gave her the most pointed look he could muster, then sighed heavily.

Kanaya Maryam. She was Rose's girlfriend. It just so happened that Kanaya was also the only reason Rose came to the cafe at all. Eridan and Kanaya weren't especially close, but, is he was honest, Eridan quite liked Kanaya. The woman was nice, most of the time, and knew her way around fashion like she was born with the color wheel in hand. If Eridan had any complaints, they would be about Kanaya's habit of meddling in other people's affairs. Always bugging and fussing and meddling.

After passing on Rose's actual order, Eridan turned to face the back. Kanaya was probably in the break room or something, but Eridan wasn't about to actually go looking for her. "KAN!" He screamed. The first couple of times he had done that he had gotten in trouble for it. However, it had become a regular occurrence quite while ago. Nowadays no one even batted an eye.

A tall woman came bustling over to the counter, dressed in the cafe's signature cobalt colored apron. When she saw rose standing behind the counter, her face lit up. "Rose! How nice of you to drop by." Eridan raised an eyebrow at the statement. After all, it wasn't really a surprise that Rose was there. She came there every day that Kanaya had a shift and she herself was free. That meant most days. He was, of course, ignored. Ah, third-wheeling. His favorite. Now would be a great time to abscond. His shift wasn't quite up yet, but he was sure Kanaya could handle it. He wanted to get home anyway. The sooner the better. Now all he had to do was smoothly heap the rest of his workload onto Kanaya.

"You know I wouldn't have stayed home when I knew you would be working Kanaya. Is it not natural for me to desire my girlfriend's attention?" Kanaya laughed softly as she moved to stand next to Eridan, facing Rose. "I do hope it is natural. I quite enjoy your company dear."

Eridan, not willing to sit and endure this terrible, *terrible* exchange any longer than was absolutely necessary, spoke up. "As cute as this is, by wwhich I mean fuckin' disgustin', I'm gonna havve to take my leavve. I gavve myself a headache wwith howw hard I wwas rollin' my eyes, so I'll blame my early leavve on me not feelin' great. You can handle my spot, right Kan? Just don't tell the boss. I like my pay." Kanaya sighed heavily, turning to Eridan. "Yes, I can handle it. It's not like it's the first time you've shirked off your duties on me. I suspect it won't be the last either." The tall man then turned to walk away. "You're a lifesavver, Kan. Really." He waved his hand at her half-heartedly. He thought he heard her saying something about 'You really need to stop ignoring what's to be done Eridan' but he wasn't really listening. He just wanted to get home.

The entire way home, Eridan couldn't shake the feeling that something big was about to happen.


	2. Eridan > get some food with your best friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still pretty much setting up for things. I hate chapters like this that are necessary, but not the most fun. I hope you like it anyway! Gotta give context for events, you know?

 

Eridan rapped his fingers lightly against the steering wheel, rolling his eyes at the morning traffic. It usually wasn't this bad, and Eridan found himself suddenly regretting leaving his apartment so late. He had class in less than thirty minutes, and he really couldn't afford to be late again. He started slightly when the cars began to move again, jerking forward from his momentary lapse in attention. Shit, this day was already off to a less than desirable start. With the way he was already running late, it was looking like he wasn't going to be able to stop and get coffee either. Considering the fact that he had stayed up half the night chatting with Feferi online, that wasn't going to help his cause at all. Eridan resisted the urge to knock his head against the steering wheel and crept forward alongside the other cars.

~*~

Eridan let his head fall lightly to his desk. Letting out a dramatically large puff of air, he rested. This day was already looking bad. It’s not like this was the first time he had almost been late or gotten too little sleep, far from it really, but that didn’t make it suck any less.

Lifting his head off the wood, Eridan rubbed his eyes. He couldn’t fall asleep now, the class was about to start. Instead of focusing on how much his eyes stung, he found solace in the fact that his schedule for the day wasn’t bad. If all went well he would be able to catch a nap in a couple hours. Till then he could stay awake, he was sure of it.

Watching the professor as he walked in, Eridan ruffled through his bookbag. His first class that day was English Literature, taught by Miss Cara Spiti.

Professor Spiti was a tall, frail woman who was so pale she was barely there at all. She nearly blended in with the paper of Eridan’s desk. She was always very sweet; too sweet for Eridan’s liking. He had always been far more fond of Professor Derit. That man, also tall and thin but with a much darker complexion, knew how to properly control his students. Many students were afraid of Professor Derit, but Eridan was quite sure the man respected him.

Unfortunately, for now, he was stuck with Miss Spiti. Therefore, he sat, quietly waiting for the class to end. He wasn’t uninterested in the subjects he was taking, just tired and a little pissed at everything at that moment in time.

~*~

Yawning, the young ginger made his way quickly to a little food place. It was a pretty hipster joint, named some shit in French that Eridan wasn’t able to understand. **Prendre La Fuite** or something. It wasn’t too well known, and it was crammed in the middle of a bunch of more popular restaurants, but it was a nice healthy place. Good atmosphere, good food (for his diet, anyway), close to the college. It was he and his best friend’s choice eating spot. As he neared it, he could already smell the greasy, carb-heavy food of the places surrounding his restaurant. As unhealthy as that food was, he couldn’t help but crave it. Ugh. Being healthy was hard.

A small bell jingled above him as he entered the small building. He didn’t even have to look around to spot Feferi. They sat in the same place every day, so it wasn’t hard to find her. “Hey, Fef.” He yawned as he slid into the booth. She cocked her head just a small bit. “Are you tired Eridan?” He shrugged, breathing in deeply, the scent of the place filling his lungs. “A little. I kinda just wwoke up though, so that’s probably wwhat’s botherin’ me.” Feferi cracked a bashful smile, “Sorry aboat that by the wave. We stayed up a little too late, huh?” Eridan shook his head. “Fef, it ain’t your fault.” She looked down. He could read her pretty well, so he knew that the half-hearted joke was out of place. “Right.”

Silently, he took one of her hands deftly in his own. Even after having been friends for so long, doing this exact same thing time and time again, he couldn’t deny the way his heart jumped when he touched her. It was no secret, to him at least, that he was madly in love with Feferi. He had been for as long as he had known her. He was terrified of telling her. Terrified of Terrified of what her reaction might be. At the same time, he couldn’t stop himself from daydreaming about what could be. Scenes ran through his head; he confessed, she reciprocated, they lived happily ever after. It was cheesy as hell and Eridan knew it, but it was all he wanted. It looked dangerously appealing to just take his chances. He knew she probably didn’t like him back, saw him as just a friend, but he couldn’t help but hope.

Leaving his hand over Feferi’s, Eridan waved the waitress over. It wasn’t too difficult to order, given the number of times the pair had been there previously. They sat in silence, waiting for their meals to be delivered. As he sat, Eridan just breathed. Everything got stressful. Way too stressful. This place was calming. Small, not crowded. It was peaceful and never failed to calm Eridan down. He could already feel the tension bleeding out of his shoulders. He would always come here when everything got to be too much for him to handle.

After not long, their waitress bounced back over, bringing them their food. “Here you go Fuchsia Fish, Body Butter.” She was a thin, pointy, blind girl with an odd habit of calling people by their smells. Unfortunately, to her, it didn’t matter how offensive some of her nicknames could be. Feferi’s face lit up pink at hers, Eridan’s frown deepening at his own. “It wwas one time damn it!” She just looked at him, almost, and cackled. Somehow though, her strange, sort of offensive personality didn’t shatter the calm, peaceful atmosphere. If anything, it just added to the familiarly comfortable feeling. As he accepted his food, Eridan couldn’t help the way his frown morphed into a slight smile.

This was one of the few places he actually smiled. Smiling wasn’t really his ‘thing’. It was only here and Feferi’s place that he ever truly smiled. He and Feferi have a rather precarious relationship, balancing dangerous, suspended over a rather dark pit of problems and anger. It was still no lie that they cared about each other, they were just so different that it was hard. Eridan was scared to death that their friendship would fall apart one day. The thought led to numerous other terrible ones, one of the reasons their relationship was so hard for Feferi. Eridan had never really been happy. It was probably just a genetic thing, only boosted by the fact that no one actually liked him. Feferi tried to keep him positive, but it was an exhausting position. He could see her growing tired. It kept him up at night sometimes.

As he slowly stabbed a piece of lettuce with his fork, Feferi sparked a conversation.

“Eridan, I have news! Reely big glubbing news!” Eridan perked an eyebrow at this. She was always peppy, but never quite this peppy. “Wwhat is it Fef?” “The Ancestors,” she began, Eridan resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Of course, it was them. Always them. It was all she ever talked about anymore. Eridan didn’t even want to give them a chance, she talked about them so much. He had been forced to sit many times through every one of their songs though, and he had to admit they weren’t terrible. He would never confess that aloud obviously, but it was a private thought that he simply couldn’t ignore.

“they’re carping here! On tour! For their latest album!” She giggled happily. Eridan sighed, then faked a smile. He vowed then and there that he would get tickets for her. He hated himself for it, but he couldn’t help it. She was too perfect when she looked like that. Her eyes were wide and absolutely sparkling with excitement. Her small hands were balled into loose fists, gently covering her wide smile. Her curls bounced with her as she bopped happily in her seat. It was too much for Eridan.

He wasn’t going to tell her about the tickets though. Not yet. He wanted it to be a surprise. He also didn’t want to promise something he couldn’t pull through, just in case he wasn’t able to balance enough extra work to pay for tickets. So instead of saying something that might have given away his plans, he settled on, “That’s cool, Fef.” It wasn’t exactly a killer, but it’d do.

“I know! Cod, I fish I could go. It would be amazing!” Those words pretty much sealed the deal for Eridan. He would make it his personal goal to get enough money for Feferi to see The Ancestors in concert. This was going to be… interesting to say the least. Neither he, nor Feferi, were very well off, so he would definitely have to work his ass off to get her tickets, but it would be worth it just to see her face. God was he smitten.

Feferi slumped slightly and sighed. “I know it’s naut good to be jealous, but right aboat now, I’m reely envious of Aradia.” Aradia? That was odd. Feferi rarely spoke of her. It wasn’t that they had a bad relationship exactly, more that they had no relationship whatsoever. “Wwhy her? There are plenty a’ other rich fucks in our school.”

The girl straightened a bit, dark hair still framing her face. “You haven’t heard?” The question had a tone of surprise in it. Immediately, Eridan’s curiosity sparked up. He had always been a fan of gossip and drama, as much as he complained about it. “Heard wwhat?”

“Aradia. People are saying she  _knows_ the Psionic.” Feferi leaned in a bit, Eridan mirroring her. “Like, they’ve been reely buddy-buddy.” A ginger eyebrow arched. “Buddy-buddy huh? Nothin’ more?” Scenarios we’re already playing through his head. What could Aradia have to do with the Psionic?

“We’re not shore yet. She’s been to a ton of their concerts, and alwaves gets a backstage pass.” Eridan’s attention was now completely captured. Sure, he may not have been a fan of The Ancestors, but it wasn’t every day you heard of someone in their dingy city being close to a popular band. Now that he thought about it, it was a little strange they were coming *here*. Usually, bands like that went to bigger cities. The plot thickens.

“Damn.” “Yeah. Some people are saying they’ve sea’n them together too. There are very low key rumors that they might be _dating_. Unfortunately, the paparazzi haven’t been able to get anyfin yet. It’s got to be just a matter of time though.” Eridan hummed in acknowledgment.

“You think they knoww anyone else in school? If they knoww Aradia.” Feferi shrugged, thinking for a moment. “It’s posseable.” “And that might be wwhy they’re comin’ here on tour.” She nodded. “Yeah.” Eridan pokes at his salad as he waited. This was going to be more interesting than he thought maybe. He was tempted to look into the ‘Aradia and Psionic’ thing. There  _had_ to be something there. Eridan did happen to know, both through Feferi and overheard conversations, that Aradia might have been the only person in the school who liked The Ancestors  _more_ than his best friend. This would be interesting.

Eridan was now even more impossibly determined to get Feferi tickets to see The Ancestors live. Not only would she love him for it, but he might be able to find out some juicy tidbits about his classmates, which was always a plus. It would be difficult, but he could do it. He had to get on it soon though, before seats sold out.

As soon as they finished their lunch, Eridan waved goodbye to Feferi and went off to scour the web for extra jobs he could do. The next few weeks would be torture, but for Feferi, it was worth it. This had to work. If he bought her tickets to the concert, there was a good chance she would be grateful enough to humor him and his feelings with a little love. Eridan couldn’t wait.

 


	3. Eridan > surprise the girl.

Eridan fell back heavily against his bed. He brought his hands up, rubbing his eyes. He wanted to pass out, but he couldn’t. Not yet. He still had a shift at the cafe after this. He was only home to change into his uniform. He knew that. Somehow his body had found its way to the bed though. This was terrible.

With a heavy sigh, Eridan managed to force himself up and off the bed. He had never liked his bed, always found it uncomfortable, but right now it was all he wanted. Wanted, but could not have. It wasn’t like he had gotten no sleep, just very little. Just a little longer. He just had to hold out for a little longer. He was tough. He could do this.

~*~

**Click**. That was it. He had done it. That was the tickets ordered. After nearly a month of overworking himself, he had been able to buy the tickets and still afford food and rent. Hell yeah! “ _Hell yeah_!” He clapped his hands together, threw his head back, and laughed. Actually _laughed_. He was proud. So proud of being able to push through.

After his brief moment of elation, the fatigue made itself known yet again. This time though, he could do something about it. He could finally get a good amount of sleep. And by that, he meant a year. He wanted to sleep for a year.

He stood from the desk chair he had been sitting in, walking to his small bathroom. No matter how tired he was, he would still take care of his appearance. Step one: remove makeup. He had been wearing more than usual lately, to make his lack of sleep less apparent, and it had been taking a toll of his skin. Not that the stress and limited sleep hadn’t already been taking their toll. His makeup was off easy enough with a makeup wipe, but he still had to wash his face and brush his teeth. He would shower in the morning, so that was taken care of.

After everything was as it should be, Eridan once again collapsed into his bed. He was asleep mere moments after his head hit the pillow. Dreams flashed before his eyes. Images and audio. Most contained Feferi, some The Ancestors, a few holding both.

~*~

Eridan squirmed nervously. He had been so focused on actually  _getting_  the tickets, he hadn’t planned how to actually give them to Feferi. There was no big ‘thing’. No party. Not a date. Just their usual lunch, in that typical restaurant. It would have to do though.

Eridan let out the breath of air he had been holding, looking up at Feferi. Their food had been delivered a while ago, and they were probably going to leave soon. It was now or never.

“Hey Fef, I... I’vve got somethin’ for ya.”

Wonderful. Fucking great. What an amazing conversationalist you are, Eridan. There was literally no way you could have said that any worse. Ugh. You’re making this awkward for everyone you dolt. 'Shut up. I’vve gotta do this damn it. Evven if I do fuck it up terribly, they’re still tickets to see The Ancestors.'

She cocked her head slightly to the side, thin eyebrows creasing. “What is it Eridan?”

He fiddled with the slips of paper in his pocket. Two tickets to see The Ancestors in concert. Taking a deep breath, he pulled them out of his jeans pocket and placed them on the table between him and Feferi. He wasn’t sure why he was so nervous. She would love them, he knew it. Unless someone else had already gotten her tickets. Or she bought them herself. Or she didn’t want to go with him. Or she didn’t like The Ancestors anymore... okay, that wasn’t true. Even Eridan’s constant pessimism knew that Feferi still loved The Ancestors.

Her oddly colored eyes went wide. She immediately reached forward to grab the tickets. Feferi held them, reading and rereading them like they would be gone if she blinked. It was right then, that Eridan knew he had done well. Nobody had gotten to her before him. Thank god.

“These are... they’re..” She looked up at Eridan, silently asking for assistance finishing her thought. “Twwo tickets to the Hemophobics Tour.” As the situation finally processed in Feferi’s brain, she jumped up, reaching across the table to hug Eridan. “Thank you!” She shouted. Eridan could feel every eye in the restaurant on him and, though there weren’t even many people there, he blushed. Despite this, he wrapped his arms awkwardly around Feferi until she pulled away. When she did, she beamed at him. A round of applause swept through the small food place, surprising Eridan further.

At this, Feferi seemed to realize what she had done. Sitting quickly, her face lit up pink also. The applause died out, allowing Eridan and Feferi to actually have a conversation.

“Glad you like ‘em.” Eridan spoke, a playful tone lighting up his voice. “You’re cheeky.” Feferi stuck out her tongue at him, only succeeding at pulling a mischievous grin onto to ginger boy’s face. She sighed slightly then, “Seariously though Eridan. Thanks. I’m...  _reely_ happy that you got these.” She looked back down at the tickets. “However you managed to get them.” Eridan grimaced at the memory. When he did, Feferi’s eyes lit up with realization. “Oh~ Eridan.” She almost sounded sad or disapproving, but not quite. “I reely want to be upset at you. You overworked yourshellf! You’re dumb. But... I can’t bring myshellf to be angry. I’m so happy.” With a sympathetic glance, Eridan placed a hand on Feferi’s shoulder. “It’s fine Fef. I survvivved didn’t I? I’m okay. Be happy.” After thinking for a moment, a wide smile returned to Feferi’s face.

Eridan himself was happier in that moment than he had been in a long time. Seeing Feferi so happy —so happy with _him_ — it made his heart glow. He hoped this was the beginning of something amazing.

**Hope never really seemed to turn out well for Eridan.**

~*~

Two tickets were hesitantly thrust forward into the outstretched hand of security personnel. The girl checked the tickets, then grinned at them. Her sharp grin looked oddly familiar, but couldn’t quite be placed. “Now just put your name here and here.” She pointed to two spaces.

Eridan jotted down his name where he was told to, albeit with slight confusion. This seemed like a pretty weird thing to be doing. Not that Eridan had been to many concerts anyway. What did he know? Maybe this was totally normal. He turned to look at Feferi. She might know why they were doing this, she knew almost everything about The Ancestors that there was to know after all.

Feferi looked just as confused about this as he was. After putting her own name down in the spaces provided, she turned to him also. At the questioning look on her face, Eridan shrugged. His attention was called back to the security woman when she spoke. “Here, put these on. Careful with ‘em.” She handed them two wristbands; the plastic-y paper kind that you had to cut off cause they were always stubborn as hell. Eridan quickly realized that the wristbands had been one of the spots they were told to put their names, so either had one of their names on it.

Though this was even more confusing, Eridan accepted them, eager to actually get into the space the concert was to be held. Eridan would never admit it, but he was excited. Something about the atmosphere maybe? The space? The people? All of the above. There was just a certain  _energy_ buzzing through the area; an energy that was making Eridan excited. It seemed to make the air thicker, harder to breathe. His fingers and toes tingled, the speed of his heart varying at odd intervals. He liked the feeling.

If Eridan felt ‘excited’ then there wasn’t a word in the English language to express what Feferi felt. She couldn’t stop smiling if she was told to at gunpoint. Walking in, Feferi was practically skipping. It was all Eridan could do to get her to slow down enough for him to keep up with her. It was fine though, he didn’t mind a bit. He was happy that she was this overjoyed. Her smiled turned out to be a touch contagious too.

After everyone had filtered in, which took quite a while because of the name shenanigans, the concert was ready to begin. Eridan wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. Sure, Feferi had told him a lot about The Ancestors, made him listen to a bunch of their songs, but he had never watched any videos about their performances. He hadn’t even seen pictures of them. Feferi tried to show him sometimes, but he never really paid attention. It was for this reason that he was beyond surprised when the first member came on stage.

 


	4. Eridan > see what this 'concert' ruckus is all about

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of my personal favorite chapters. It's definitely better than those before it, as Sollux finally makes his appearance. Enjoy!

The instruments and mic seemed to already be ready and set up when a lanky man stumbled onto the stage. The word ‘man’ is used loosely though, as the guy looked entirely alien. He had gray skin, four candy corn horns sitting on his head. When he looked up at the crowd, his eyes wide and panicked, Eridan only saw a brilliant blue and a fiery red. His own eyes went slightly wide. This was the strangest thing he had ever experience.

Feferi squealed beside him. He looked over at her just in time to see her screaming the man’s name. So that was The Psionic. He remembered Feferi always fawning over his looks, so he tried to pay more attention to that. Sure enough, as he looked closer, The Psionic was very nice to look at. Eridan’s type too, or he would have been if he wasn’t dressed like a fucking alien. He was tall, probably taller than Eridan, and lanky. Although he was thin, there was an underlying power to his build. He had a bit of lean muscle; it would most likely make him faster than he was strong, but he could still probably get his way if he wished. Eridan couldn’t lie, The Psionic was fucking hot.

The Psionic seemed frozen in fear, only stirring slightly when a sound was heard in the distance. At first, Eridan had trouble identifying it, but as a second identical sound came, it was easily some sort of horn. When a third honk came, louder this time, The Psionic glanced behind him. Apparently seeing nothing, he slowly looked around the stage, turning in a circle. Still nothing. His panic seemed to be growing, strange red and blue sparks lighting up his eyes. If he had not been so enraptured by the performance, Eridan would have wondered how they did that.

Suddenly, a heavy thud sounded from the other side of the stage. At this point, almost the entire crowd was quiet, all caught up in the show. Slowly, I figure emerged on the other side of the stage. Eridan thought he had been prepared to see another one of these weirdos, but he had been wrong. This one was absolutely terrifying. He was tall and long, his curling horns reaching skyward. His face was painted like that of some sort of killer clown, hair an unruly mess. As the large man lumbered across the stage, Eridan felt himself worrying for The Psionic. If he had been sitting in a seat, he would have been on the edge of it.

The large man, ‘The Grand Highblood’ Eridan had learned from excited screamers (who had started up again as soon as his figure was fully emerged), reached The Psionic quickly. When he did, he reached out, picking up the much smaller man by a hand around his neck. Again, if Eridan had been paying any sort of proper attention, he would have been impressed with the stunts, however, he was, as aforementioned, far too wrapped up in the story.

As The Grand Highblood lifted The Psionic slightly higher, grinning lazily up at him, a shadow swept quickly across the stage. Eridan’s eyebrows knitted together. What could that have been? Something flying? It looked as though The Grand Highblood was just as confused as Eridan, looking around, club spinning deftly in his hand. Before either could wonder for too long, another figure lowered onto the stage. In Eridan’s opinion, this guy had the most striking silhouette yet. He had absolutely massive horns, to the point that it was amazing that he wasn’t hitting anything. As if those monsters weren’t enough, the man had bronze butterfly wings that fanned out behind him, casting a haunting shadow onto the stage.

With the longhorn’s entrance, The Grand Highblood’s attention was successfully pulled away from The Psionic. Unfortunately, that didn’t mean much good for the poor golden boy, as The Grand Highblood simply threw him aside to discard of the man. Eridan gasped when he saw The Psionic slump against the ground, still and silent, laying behind a keyboard like instrument. He listened intently and... there! He could still be heard breathing! He was okay. Eridan let out a breath that he hadn’t been aware he had been holding.

At this, Feferi giggled beside him. When he looked over to her, she elbowed him in the side lightly. “You’re into this!” She said happily, smugness laced behind her words. Eridan’s face tinted pink, “Oh, shut up.” She smiled impossibly wider, her words light and peppy, “It’s nice! I’m glad you’re piking it.” Eridan simply huffed, turning away. Feferi leaned closer to him again for just a second. “That one’s The Summoner by the wave. The girl that is aboat to come on is Mindfang, and the last buoy is The Signless.” Eridan raised a brow at her. “And wwhy are you tellin’ me this?” “I just thought you’d like to know,” she shrugged, before a grin crept onto her face once more, “cause you like them so much!” He shoved her playfully, but couldn’t deny there was truth behind her words.

Eridan sighed, looking away from Feferi just in time to see another person rushing on to the stage. This one was a pirate looking woman, ‘Mindfang’ Feferi had said. She entered quickly behind The Grand Highblood while he was distracted, drawing a curved sword to hit him in the head with the flat of the blade. He stumbled a bit, but Eridan expected that was just from shock. Mindfang rounded The Grand Highblood to stand next to The Summoner. The large man looked up at the two of them, and Eridan noticed a streak of purple running down the side of his face. It looked like regular blood, except for its odd color. Purple blood?

Eridan guessed that whatever weird species they were portraying bled purple. He himself was more fond of violet shades than the dark purple he saw, but that color wasn’t too terrible. Better than red or yellow.

Speaking of yellow, he could see a drip of that too. A goldish, mustard yellow color seeped slowly from where The Psionic was crumpled. It wasn’t much, but it was there. Was that The Psionic’s blood? So they didn’t all bleed the same color? The Psionic’s blood was kind of a nasty hue, Eridan decided. He couldn’t imagine that flowing through someone’s veins. It was almost... better seeing it spilled. Yeah. No one should have to live with that disgusting color running through their system, in their bloodstream. Poor Psionic.

On stage, the three still standing moved to trade blows. Mindfang used her sword, The Grand Highblood, his club, and The Summoner, a lance like instrument that he had produced from... god knows where, really. Eridan’s focus wasn’t on them though, as he saw The Psionic begin to move. He moved his hands to the ground and pushed himself up slightly. Only his front half off the ground, he coughed, spitting that gross gold color.

He stayed in that position for a beat, just breathing. First, he started to twitch, then spark, red and blue. Slowly, he was on his feet. The man swayed slightly, then hunched over the keyboard in front of him. His hands moved deftly and, like that, the first note of a song was played. He played notes slowly, each one separate from the others, and with each one, his eyes sparked. The keys glowed when he pressed them, either red or blue, the same hues that Eridan had seen The Psionic with this whole time. Though the notes were played too slowly and separately to actually sound like a song, they added to the action on stage. Each of the blows of the other three was in time with the tune, Eridan realized. They had been timed all along, but there hadn’t been a beat to go with it, so it was hard to notice.

“FUCKING STOP!”

The shout rang out over the crowd, and suddenly everything was quiet. The fighters had stopped. The notes had stopped. Even the audience held their breath. From the opposite side of the stage than the fighting trio, a man stepped out. At first, Eridan thought he was human. He rethought that quickly. Not only would it be weird for just one band member to be human, but this one also had the gray skin and horns. It was just hard to see at first. He was wearing a cloak that covered most of his skin, and his horns were nubby and barely visible in his mess of black hair. The Signless.

He crossed the stage to stand right in front of Grand Highblood, Mindfang, and Summoner. He was considerably shorter than all of them, but that didn’t make him any less intimidating. Signless crossed his arms, glaring up at the other three. His expression was as poisonous as a dart frog. “WOULD YOU ASSLICKERS CUT THIS SHIT OUT FOR ONE GOGDAMN MINUTE?”

Eridan was immediately taken aback by his speech. His voice seemed to be at a constant ear-splitting volume, his words woven with curses. It also seemed suspiciously like he was breaking the scene, speaking to these people like nothing was happening. “WE’VE GOT A BIT OF A FUCKING THING TO DO IF YOU HAVEN’T NOTICED.” Signless gestured at the crowd. Yup. Definitely breaking the fourth wall a bit. Was that supposed to happen? Was any of this supposed to happen? Eridan was having a little trouble distinguishing planned from unplanned.

“Calm your titth, Thignleth.” Psionic was the first to speak up. His words were laced with a heavy lisp, and Eridan almost laughed at the way he said Signless’ name. “SHUT IT, SPARKY.” Psionic scowled, but went quiet. Signless then turned back to the others. “YOU SHITS GET IN POSITION. NOW.”

Despite his size and generally less intimidating appearance, Signless had an air of command. When he barked an order, the others respected it. To some extent anyway. Summoner was swooped up, presumably lifted with strings of some sort, and landed behind the drum set. Mindfang sheathed her sword, picking up a guitar instead. The Grand Highblood picked up a bass guitar, tossing his club lazily behind him. Once everyone seemed to be in place, the tall man spoke up.

“Can I use the Horn this time?” Signless looked at him with a deadpan expression. “NO.” “Come on brother. It’ll sound cool.” “WE’VE TRIED IT. IT DOESN’T SOUND COOL, IT SOUNDS FUCKING TERRIFYING.” “Aww.” The Grand Highblood’s smile dropped, but only for a second, before it crawled back on to his painted face. “Fine. Next time bro.” Signless sighed but didn’t have time to speak any more, as Psionic started up his key sequence again. That was... an interesting mini-exchange.

He played the same keys as last time, but faster this time. The sound of the keyboard like thing he was playing was like a normal piano, but there was something distorted about it. After he played through the same short tune once or twice, the drums kicked up. The drums kept the beat as Psionic played through his part one more time before there was a short sort of drum roll and the song kicked up.

Mindfang started singing, and Eridan was reminded how different The Ancestors were than any other band he or Feferi regularly listened to. They were more of a hard rock, with an electronic background. Eridan guessed it was The Psionic who was providing the electrical part, as he watched the man’s hands flit deftly over the keyboard, changing settings, distorting sounds, adding layers, playing back sections, as if it were second nature. For him, it might’ve been. To Eridan, it just looked terribly confusing.

The first song was over after a bit, not finishing without a fair deal of screaming from Signless, a rap bouncing back and forth between The Grand Highblood and The Summoner, and a guitar solo from Mindfang. Eridan didn’t think he had heard that song before. It was longer than their usual ones, more complicated. It must’ve been fairly new. He couldn’t say he hated it, though it wasn’t what he was used to.

After the first song, there was a bit of introduction. The Summoner. The Psionic. The Signless/Sufferer. Marquis Spinneret Mindfang. The Grand Highblood. He found Mindfang’s name slightly odd next to the others, but he wasn’t gonna ask questions. He also learned that the species they were portraying were ‘trolls’, which he also found weird. Every troll he had seen or thought about to that day had looked very different from these aliens. Again, he wasn’t about to question it.

~*~

The rest of the concert went fairly normally. There was some playful banter tossed between the band members, but no more scenes like the first. Their music wasn’t terrible, Eridan finally admitted to himself. He knew the lyrics to many of their songs too, because of Feferi, so he found himself, on more than one occasion, singing along. In the back of his mind, he thought how fun it must’ve been to be in a band. Eridan wasn’t a terrible singer, but he didn’t really know how to play any rock instruments. He had dabbled in acoustic guitar a few years ago, and he could play piano, but he couldn’t play anything that was up there.

After the last few chords of the final song died out, Signless began speaking again. “ALRIGHT PUPILS, HOPE YOU ENJOYED WHATEVER THAT BULLSHIT WAS. THAT WAS THE END THOUGH. WHOOPIE. DEPRESSING, I KNOW, BUT DON’T GET TOO TORN UP, CAUSE WE’VE GOT A FUCKING SURPRISE FOR YOU.” Eridan was a little confused, but excited all the same. At this point, he had nearly forgotten that he was supposed to hate this band. They weren’t his favorite, but he was no longer pissed that he had to listen to them.

“You know how you had to put your names down when you came in? That’s right, my little Spiderbites, we’re-“ “- NOT CALLING THEM THAT.” “- having a drawing!!!!!!!!” Eridan almost laughed at the ignored troll but was distracted by the last part. A drawing. Interesting. Eridan didn't really want to win (unless they were offering cash) since, although he may have enjoyed their music during the concert, he still didn't much care for them. that said, he could still see how everyone who did like them could be excited. “We’ll pull a hundred names, if yours gets called, gr’eight. You’ll have to stay after a bit, but that shouldn’t hurt too much. If you can’t stay, we can mail your prize to you, just make sure to give a security guard an address to mail to. Speaking of the prize, I haven’t mentioned what it is.” A grin spread across the troll girl’s face. “Whoever’s name is called gets a free vinyl of our l’eight’est album, signed by the member of their choice!!!!!!!!”


	5. Eridan > do something you're going to regret.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eridan and Sollux's first time talking to each other. What can go wrong?

Eridan felt slightly let down at the prize. He didn’t really care about a vinyl or a signature. He didn’t know what he had been expecting, but this wasn’t quite it. He actually really didn’t want to wait after to get something like that. He wasn’t a legitimate fan of the band, he had just bopped along to their music for a while. He had no desire to meet the members or own a stupid, obsolete vinyl. He guessed he could sell it.

Eridan shook his head to clear it. He shouldn’t be planning what to do with the prize. He wasn’t even gonna win. There were tons of people there, and they were only choosing a hundred. Somehow though, he still thought there was a chance he could get it. Something about the human brain and the way it worked. He hoped he didn’t win. 

“Now listen real careful, cause I’m only saying these once.” The crowd got quiet.

Mindfang began calling names; many random people that Eridan didn’t know. He looked over to Feferi. She looked excited, but almost a little sad. Obviously, she cared far more about the prize than Eridan did.

“Ashley Preston.” A gasp in the nearby audience. “Willow Adamson” an excited cheer. “Leo Stotch.” Spirited laughter and some teasing. 

“Eridan Ampora.” 

For just a second, everything froze. Then it was back, crashing in. Feferi screeched excitedly beside him. He looked at her, his eyes going impossibly wide. Had his name just been called? His name had just been called. Eridan couldn’t decide if he wanted to smile or not. He had just won a very unlikely prize, but a prize that he didn’t really want. 

“Eridan you won! You glubbing won!!” Eridan’s face scrunched up, him still trying to figure out what to do. “Yeah... I did.” Feferi tilted her head slightly, questioning, but her smile not dropping at all. “Somefin wrong?” “Wwell, I just don’t really wwant the prize. I’m not an actual fan a’ this, you knoww?” 

She looked down for a second, expression slightly guilty. Looking back up, her face was more subdued. She felt bad about something but was still having trouble containing her excitement. “Eridan... I know you’ve already done a lot for me, and I reely don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but... do you think, maybe, you could get the prize for me?” Of course! Why hadn’t Eridan thought of it? It was the perfect plan. He’d still be envied, and he could do something great for his crush. Nothing could go wrong.

~*~

After everyone had been called, and the people who hadn’t been called left, they were ready to give out the prizes. Some people had stayed behind to watch, most likely because they had come in with someone and were leaving with them too. That’s why Feferi had stayed behind, at least. 

Eridan was stuck in line behind an annoyingly excited boy with a tuft of blonde hair on the top of his head. As Eridan watched, the boy waved happily to a man standing beside Feferi and wearing an orange hoodie. The orange hoodie guy, who had his hood pulled up and pulled tight despite the nice weather, winked at the blonde guy. Eridan guessed they were together, suddenly slightly jealous.

It took a while, but finally, it was Eridan’s turn. He had been instructed by Feferi to get The Psionic’s autograph. That was the yellow one, right? Eridan was pretty sure he was right. He stepped up to the table that all the band members were sat at. Looking them over, he spotted The Psionic rather easily. The man was stretched self righteously back in his chair, grinning up at Eridan. His obviously proud attitude annoyed Eridan a bit, but he couldn’t completely ignore the slight pull of sexual attraction he felt. This asshole was pretty okay to look at.

“You’re Psionic, right?” A harmless question, Eridan thought. Evidently, Psionic didn’t feel exactly the same. Eridan had been watching the man out of the corner of his eye for a while, and he seemed to be pretty laid back, so Eridan didn’t expect it when his demeanor suddenly changed for no reason. The thin ‘troll’ leaned forward, his comfortable posture slipping away. “No, I’m totally not *The* Psionic. I only look exactly like him, sound exactly like him, and am sitting in his chair.” 

Caught off guard by the sudden quip, Eridan’s feathers fluffed. Without thinking, he defended himself, as was his natural reaction to this kind of thing. “I don’t need your fuckin’ sass, ‘Thionic’.” He mockingly imitated the man’s lisp in an attempt to get him back for the small hit to Eridan’s own pride. Some of the other people in line were now looking at the two strangely. Signless sighed deeply, his head in his hands. “God fucking damn it, Sollux.” He whispered, too quiet for anyone but himself to hear.

“I can get you kicked out of here in a fucking second. Don’t talk back to me.” Eridan straightened up, arms crossed, his posture becoming truly defensive. “You’re not my fuckin’ mother. Just givve me my prize, asshole.” At that, Psionic raised out of his chair. Coming to his feet, he towered over Eridan, though the ginger probably had more muscle. “Maybe I won’t. I'm not typically inclined to hand out gifts to asshats.” Eridan was taken aback but leaned forward. “You fuckin’ started it! You wwere an ass to me before I did a thing to you!” 

Out of the corner of his eye, Eridan saw Feferi. She looked mortified. He felt guilt melting and swirling into the fire in his veins. For a brief moment, Eridan considered giving up on the argument. Then Psionic spoke again, “Why do you even want the prize? You obviously aren’t much of a fan. Any of our fans wouldn’t be cunts like you.” “Shut your trap! I’m gettin’ it for my-“ Eridan wasn’t sure what to say. It was his pride versus the truth. He could call Feferi his friend, as she was, or he could call her his girlfriend, to make himself seem more impressive. After just a split second’s hesitation, he decided. “-my girlfriend.” 

He stole a quick glance to Feferi, to make sure he hadn’t heard him. He hated to let his pride win over facts, but Eridan’s pride was a force to be reckoned with. Psionic simply scoffed, raising an eyebrow. “Never thought a fag like you would have a girlfriend.” The man in question’s face flushed as The Psionic’s gaze followed where Eridan’s eyes had been moments before. When Feferi spotted him looking directly at her, her eyes went wide. Psionic grinned, waving his hand in a way that, in Eridan’s humble opinion, was trying *way* too hard to be ‘cool’ and ‘nonchalant’. The girl practically melted at the attention, her face lighting up pink and her brain unable to keep up with what was going on. Eridan glared at The Psionic.

“Stop tryin’ to be cool. You’re fuckin’ not. Noww, gimme my goddamn prize. I wwon it, I havve a right to it. No matter howw pissy you wwant ta' be.” The golden boy pulled his attention back to Eridan, about to snap something back to him when, “Hey!” It was a simple but stern word from Signless; not very loud, but still carrying an air of command. Both men looked to the one who had spoken. Signless said no more, but gave a warning look to both of them, mostly Psionic.

Eridan gave a skeptical look, not confident that what Signless had done would change anything. That was why, when he looked back at the man who had been fiery a minute before, he was surprised. Psionic seemed to have calmed down more than should have been possible. Eridan had never met anyone who flipped moods as quickly as this man. And as much as the shorter man should have been glad the argument was likely over, Psionic’s sudden forfeit pissed him off further. Now Eridan was left, still fuming, with no one to take his anger out on. He had been emotionally blue balled. 

With nothing more than a sigh, and a quiet “Here.” Psionic handed Eridan his signed vinyl. Eridan couldn’t believe it had ended that quickly. His head was reeling from the abrupt halt. His blood was left molten, his thoughts scrambled. It felt like he should have still been talking to The Psionic, but instead, he was storming away without so much as a “Bye, asshole.” 

As soon as Eridan was back by Feferi’s side, she began telling him off. He had expected this, but that barely cushioned the blow. This was terrible. Eridan was afraid he was going to snap at Feferi because of Psionic. He usually tried not to be legitimately angry at Feferi, but everything was starting to grate on his nerves. He just wanted to get home and sleep for a year. Sleep it off. 

Tuning out Feferi’s insistent “Eridan how could you?!” and “I can never go anywhere with you!”, Eridan marched back to his car. As soon as they were both inside, the boy sighed. “Fef, please.” He cut off her rant. “I can’t deal wwith this right noww. Leavve me the fuck alone, wwill you?!” He hadn’t meant for that to sound as angry as it had, but Eridan had never been great at hiding his emotions.

She paused, looking down for a second, then letting out a puff of breath. “Whale I’m sorry, but you seariously embarrassed me!” Feferi’s continuing fish puns further grated in Eridan’s already raw nerves. “Yeah. I got that. That’s exactly wwhat you told me ovver and ovver in your little rant.” He gripped the steering wheel in front of him tightly, desperately wanting to hit something. Eridan sighed, trying to forcefully calm himself. He had never been great with his anger and had actually been made to go to anger management when he was a kid. It didn’t seem to change much. 

Before he could think too hard about everything or get into an argument with Feferi, Eridan turned the car on. He focused on the hum of the engine for a moment, before going to pull out of the parking lot. They pulled onto the road, and Eridan immediately turned on the radio. He wasn’t going to let Feferi get another word in. He couldn’t. After finding a rock station, which he only listened to when he was angry, Eridan leaned back in his seat and tapped his foot to the beat of the drums in an unfamiliar Breaking Benjamin song. 

Everything seemed to be going well — Eridan was calming down— until about halfway through the car ride. The radio continued to play, switching songs yet again; only this time, an Ancestors song came on. It was one that they had heard only a short while prior, during the concert. At first, Eridan didn’t recognize it, but it wasn’t long before he remembered. It seemed to him that the synth was louder this time. Was it? Or was he just paying more attention to it this time? The electrical distortion *had* to be greater, right? He honestly couldn’t tell. 

He didn’t care much though. He didn’t. The more he listened to it, the more clearly he saw The Psionic in his head. The fucking asshole. He gritted his teeth, wanting to scream. His anger was back, almost full force. Damn it! He turned the radio off with a quick motion. He couldn’t deal with this.

The rest of the car ride was silent.


	6. Eridan > decide that the customer isn't always right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hhhhrkg. It's been a while, huh? Sorry mates. I was on vacation. I'm back now, though! This chapter was pretty fun to write, so I hope it's fun to read too :)

Days passed; Eridan and Feferi hardly talked. On the third day, however, Eridan decided he couldn’t take it. He had to talk to Feferi. He missed her far too much. It hurt, badly. Eridan knew that it was pitiful that he couldn’t even go a week without Feferi, but it was true. He needed her back.

He also couldn’t deny that it wasn’t her fault they hadn’t talked. Up until that point, Eridan had been avoiding Feferi. After what he had done at the concert, what had happened, he wasn’t sure he could face her. Would she be mad still? Probably. But he had to take the chance.

That day in Eridan’s first lesson, he planned his attack. On that particular day, Eridan happened to not have any lessons with Feferi until after lunch. That would work to his advantage. He could sit by her at lunch like they always had before. But would she even be at the restaurant? He wouldn’t know, as he hadn’t eaten there since the concert.

Well, there was only one way to find out.

~*~

Eridan breathed a sigh, walking into the food district of his little city. It was still fairly warm out, the tail end of summer. To him, though, it felt significantly colder. Eridan had always been fairly depressed, but without Feferi it was significantly worse. And it was all because of the stupid fucking Ancestors. He had meant for that concert to bring him closer to Feferi, but it had pushed the two apart.

The Psionic. Eridan hadn’t been able to get the man out of his head. That asshole had ruined it all. For no reason, he had sabotaged Eridan’s outing. Eridan was furious. But as much as his hate was in the forefront of his mind, there was something else in the back of his head. The Psionic had a cocky, but unmistakably sexy air to him. Eridan just chose to ignore the fact that he found the costumed man very sexually appealing, in a fiery sort of way. He wondered vaguely what The Psionic would look like without all the makeup and accessories.

Forcing the thought out of his heavy mind, Eridan pushed open the door to Prendre la Fuite. The familiar smell calmed him significantly, and he could feel his muscles relax slightly as soon as he was inside the cute building. Without even thinking about it, he wandered over to his and Feferi’s usual spot and sat down. The moment his ass met the seat and his eyes met the person across from him, he wished he actually  _had_  thought about his actions.

Sitting directly across from the redhead, was the same person who had sat there every other time Eridan had eaten in this restaurant. The only difference this time was that she hadn't been expecting him, and he hadn't been ready to see her. He had hyped himself up in his head, but never actually formulated a real plan. He had no idea what he was going to say to her.

He couldn’t apologize, his stupid, self-righteous pride wouldn’t let him. He had never been one who was willing to admit when he was wrong. But was he wrong? Surely not. No. He shouldn’t have to apologize. It wasn’t his fault. He couldn’t have done anything. He was just the victim. Always the victim.

Feferi was definitely surprised at Eridan turning up; she obviously didn’t exactly know how to deal with this either. Eridan thought for a split second, as that was all he had before it got awkward, then decided to just ignore the issue. Ignoring problems. Always the best solution. Eridan just hoped it wouldn’t come back to bite him in the ass.

“Hey Fef.”

“Hi.”

“I think I might try somethin’ neww today. I alwways get the same thing, you knoww?”

Eridan picked up a menu to scan over it, desperately avoiding eye contact. He really didn’t want to see how Feferi was reacting to him right now. She shuffled in her seat, he heard it, but he still didn’t look up to see what she was doing. When the silence began to stretch, weighing on the two, Eridan was forced to speak again.

“Havve you had the vveggie burger? Wwhat all does that havve on it?”

“Um.. just the burger and cheese and lettuce I think. There are more options, probably. I tried it once. Didn’t really like it.”

“Right... I might try it.”

The conversation felt strained and unnatural. Eridan wasn’t sure what had changed. He and Feferi had fought before, they actually argued quite a bit, but it had never been this awkward afterward. Was this fight more important? Maybe to Feferi. Eridan thought it wasn’t that important, but maybe because it involved The Ancestors it was something big to Feferi. That was ridiculous if you asked him. He heard Feferi sigh.

“Erifin,” she started.

That was bad. That childhood nickname. She rarely used it anymore, unless she was going to talk to Eridan about something touchy. That nickname meant Feferi wanted to actually  _discuss_ what had happened. This is what Eridan had been dreading.

“I reely,  _reely_  cannot believe you."

For a moment, Eridan thought Feferi was about to get up. About to leave. It looked like Feferi might have thought she was too. But she didn’t. She just exhaled and kept speaking.

“I want to be mad at you. I am. But I can’t stop reminding myshelf that it was  _you_  who worked so hard to get my those tickets. That doesn’t mean that I’ve forgiven you for embarrassing me like you did. Cause you really did, Erifin. And you obviousea aren’t about to apologize.” Eridan opened his mouth to speak, but Feferi cut him off. “I am, however, crilling to forget. We can put this behind us. I refuse to forgive you when you won’t even apologize, but I will forget.”

Feferi’s words cut Eridan deeply. Large, ugly gashes. He found himself left speechless. He wasn’t sure whether to be happy or not. Feferi was still willing to talk to him, but she would always hold that against him? Was that what she was saying?

In the end, he just nodded, looking down. They ordered eventually, Eridan tracing the grains in the wood as they waited for their food. They got their food rather quickly, and Eridan started up a conversation about some scandal at their college. He wouldn’t let this be awkward, he vowed. Despite his best efforts— and the fact that if anyone else had been paying attention to them, they would have said that they were as friendly as ever— something felt off. Just slightly out of place.

~*~

Eridan dragged his feet at work the following day. He still wasn’t feeling his best. Everyone could tell, but he didn’t really care. It felt like there was a terrible pressing on his shoulders. He was being held down and drown. Feferi used to always hype him up when he was feeling tired like this, but, despite what they both said, they hadn’t been talking as much or as naturally as they used to. It wasn’t at all noticeable to the outside world, but it was a difference for Eridan.

Hearing the bell jingle, Eridan looked up from his phone. He was working the cash register that day, and the hour wasn’t a busy one. He was thankful for that since he got to, more or less, relax. As soon as his eyes found the customer, his jaw dropped.

No.  _fuck_ no.

So much for relaxation. A couple of other people who were in the small café turned around in their seats, looking at the newest arrival. Despite all the eyes on him, he was looking straight at the counter, eyes locked with Eridan’s. The newcomer’s eyes were all Eridan could see. A brilliant blue and fiery red.

The eyes belonged to The Psionic.

Eridan felt a flare of anger follow a chill up and down his spine. He couldn’t deal with this man. Not now. Not ever, actually. This was utter bullshit. Why? Why, out of all the goddamn places this rich asshole could have gone, did he choose the café that Eridan just  _happened_ to work at? Why, out of all the  _times_ he could have chosen, did he choose to come when Eridan was on shift and not at his best? Utter. Bullshit.

Eridan really did want to be passive. He did. But the magma glowing in his veins was not going to let this go by without a hitch. After he collected his jaw off the floor, Eridan put on an offensive, but lazy expression. Psionic didn’t seem to be half as surprised at Eridan’s presence as the barista was at the band member’s.

All the other patrons seemed to be equally surprised as Eridan, but for different reasons. It took a minute for Eridan to realize the reason, for he would bet money on the fact that no one in his little hipster café knew The Ancestors. After thinking for half a second, it dawned on Eridan, and the man had no idea how he didn’t see it before. The Psionic was in full costume. He looked like he had come straight out of a show. That actually might have been very true, if the slightly disheveled clothes and sheen of sweat meant anything. Eridan hadn’t noticed his appearance at first, because he was used to seeing The Psionic like this, but the rest of the customers were obviously more than a little disturbed.

“Wwhat are you doin’ here?” Eridan’s tone was only slightly hostile. For a moment, Psionic’s expression seemed almost passive. A little scared, or sad. It was gone in an instant, though, leaving to be replaced by something much more offensive. Psionic stepped forward, toward Eridan.

“Look, man, I’m just here for coffee. I don’t need your fucking awful attitude.”

Oh. So now this man was telling  _Eridan_ not to be a dick, was he? When  _he_ was the asshole last time they met, not Eridan? Funny.

“Get lost. Wwe wwon’t servve you.” Psionic straightened to his full height, which towered above Eridan. “Right. You don’t own this place, dick. You’re two poor two own a business.” Eridan’s anger flared. “Bullshit. Wwho’d you hear that from.”

“I told him. You got a problem with that?”

Just then, a girl, who Eridan had not even noticed previously, stepped out from behind Psionic. She was dressed normally, unlike the band member. And Eridan recognized her. It was the girl who was rumored to know the Psionic. Of course.

Aradia Megido.

She was a girl of a decent height, with curves in all the right places. Her hair was thick and dark, cascading down her shoulders in loose curls. Her skin was pale, since she was Asian, and her eyes were a deep, burnt brown. She wore a nice black and burgundy dress and a complimentary lip color. Eridan didn’t find her that interesting next to Psionic. He told himself that was because the man was dressed up so much.

Something he found a little more interesting about Aradia, was that she was the richest girl he knew. Possibly the richest in their whole school, considering he knew just about everyone (from word of mouth, he didn’t talk to many people. Or rather, they didn’t talk to him.) He was also happy to find out that the rumor he had heard about her was true. She did know the Psionic. And from the looks of it, they were dating.

“Yeah, I got a fuckin’ problem wwith it. Wwhy wwere you twwo talkin’ about me?”

The Psionic was quick to reply. “None of your beeswax.”

Getting defensive, now was he? He didn’t have the right.

Psionic moved to lean over the counter toward Eridan. “Now listen,” He lisped, looking down quickly at the other man’s name tag, “Eridan. Just give me my fucking coffee. Don’t be rude to your customers.” Eridan glared at him. “You mean like you aren’t supposed to be rude to your fans?” Psionic coughed indignantly. “Shut the fuck up. That wasn’t-“ he was cut off by Aradia speaking.

“Sollux, please. Let’s just go. I know... yeah. I know. Still though. This is bad.”

Her words were quiet, obviously not meant for Eridan to hear. Unfortunately for her, Eridan wasn’t exactly hard of hearing. And he just happened to find some of her words particularly interesting. She 'knew'? Knew what? Eridan was desperate to find out.

Something that he was even more intrigued by, however, was Aradia’s first word. ‘Sollux’. It sounded to Eridan like she was addressing Psionic as that. That must’ve been his real name. Sollux. Eridan kind of liked it. By that, he meant he hated it. Obviously. Right? Liked it cause it was something new to hate? Sure.

Seeing the slightly mischievous look on Eridan’s face, ‘Sollux’ turned to Aradia. “AA! Seriously?!” He whispered urgently. She grimaced. “Sorry? Maybe he didn’t hear anything, and that’s just his resting face?” Eridan’s expression dropped to an unamused one as he listened to the two of them whisper back and forth. “I’m right here, lovvebirds.” At that, Sollux turned to Eridan with an incredulous expression. “I- what?”

“Don’t talk like I’m not here.” Eridan explained easily, because that was obviously what Sollux was confused about. Forgetting it, Sollux followed the barista’s chain of thought. “I can talk however I want. Now give me my fucking coffee.” Eridan huffed. He wanted to keep arguing, but he knew he shouldn’t. He needed this job, and if he seriously pissed off a famous person, he was gonna lose it. He wasn’t gonna go down without a tiny fight though.

“I can’t. In case you havven’t noticed, you need to _order_. Wwhen you’re done wwith that, you might think about  _paying_ too.” To Eridan’s enjoyment, Sollux visibly gritted his teeth. He let Aradia order, then moodily handed over his credit card. Eridan scanned it, then handed it back. “You wwant your name on the cup, _Sollux_?” Eridan said the man’s name slowly and deliberately, making sure he knew that Eridan now knew it. He didn’t really understand why it was such a big deal, but if it was, Eridan was going to use it against him. Sollux just nodded, glaring at Eridan.

After a short wait, Sollux and Aradia’s order was ready. Eridan scribbled Aradia’s name on her cup, then handed it to her. When he grabbed Sollux’s drink to do the same, he subconsciously sunk to one hip, pursing his lips. He wrote Sollux’s name, his handwriting was good (if a little wavy), then looked up at Sollux. “I wwould wwrite my number too, but I don’t wwant you contactin’ me.” Eridan’s expression was amusing, enjoying far too much this little mischief. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to see all of Sollux’s reaction, as the man’s face was caked with his Psionic makeup and special effects. What he could see, was Sollux’s eyebrows creasing, his jaw clenching.

Sollux snatched his cup from Eridan’s hand, then turned to leave. “Fuck you.” were the last words out of his mouth before he and his date left the café. Eridan was left feeling much more satisfied from that encounter than their last. Despite his happiness, his blood was still boiling right beneath his skin. He watched through the glass doors as Sollux and Aradia walked away. It seemed like Aradia was laughing at something pretty hard. He really didn’t know if he was happy or angry. It was like a mix of the two.

The fire in his veins boiled together with his joy, amplifying it and giving him something of a euphoric feeling. He chose to ignore it, and his craving for more of it.


	7. Sorry About This (A/N)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm a little scared to post this. Oh well.

Thank you to everyone who has read and enjoyed this fic. You are the people who make me want to continue writing it. Unfortunately, I'm a selfish asshole. I care about all of the people who have read my work, and I want to make you happy, but I just don't have it in me. I can't really find the motivation to do anything anymore. I don't want to do anything. I'm sorry. I'm discontinuing this work. I won't be writing anything else. I'm leaving, probably. Just in general. I want to be gone. That's the one thing I want to do I guess. So thank you to everyone and goodbye.

 

 

And to all of the people who want to know what happens, here are all of my notes for the fic. I had everything planned out, but oh well. If you want to take the idea or the storyline, go ahead. I don't, and won't really be able to, care.

 

Bandstuck Sollux Erisol au   
Random notes, guidelines, chapters, ideas, and other shit   
  
* Things to know   
\- Humanstuck    
\- Bandstuck!Sollux   
\- Hemoswap   
\- Sollux plays a synth   
\- Eridan hates Sol’s band, but is forced to talk about them and go to their concerts by Feferi, who is an avid fan   
\- Karkat is the screamy backup vocalist    
\- The lead vocalist is Vriska (as much as I hate her ass, she fills the band out nicely)   
\- The lead guitarist is also dear *sweet* KK   
\- The bassist is Gamzee (my sweet bab and patron troll)   
\- The drummer is Tavbaby Nitram   
\- The band name is gonn be The Ancestors, ‘tis like it sounds, they will all wear their ancestor things and look like trolls and shit   
\- So Sol will be ‘The Psionic’ (but spelled that weird way that your supposed to spell it that I can’t do cause I’m on a phone)   
\- Karkat will be the head of the band, and also ‘The Signless’ (as an ironic jab at the fact that the band does have a sign (it’s the cancer symbol, like done with your hands? Ya know?))   
\- Tavros will be ‘The Summoner’ (obvi)   
\- Gamz will be the ‘The Grand Highblood’   
\- Spider Bitch will be ‘Mindfang’ (can you see where I’m going with this?)   
\- Their performances will be, like, full fucking productions, and they’ll have a storyline going that continues with each album/tour   
\- For the sake of me not burning out my insignificant thinkpan trying to come up with alternate solutions and explanations for plot things and doohickeys, this is gonna be a hemoswap kinda thing, you don’t like it? Suck my dripping bulge. (What the fuck even past me? Just why?)   
\- Make sure to add hints that Sollux likes Eridan from the beginning and vice versa   
  
* Other Ships To Note     
\- Pb&J    
\- Allusions to Johnkat   
\-  Solfef (it doesn’t last )   
\- Rosemary    
  
* Things that should happen at some point:    
\- Eridan has to go back to college after the tour, but he ends up attending one of their concerts again and they have another drawing, Sol puts Eri’s name in the winning draw so that he has an excuse to spend the day with him. I think I want that to be the last chapter (or near the last chapter) and I’ll have them get together and shit then   
\- A long time later, an early chapter is referenced. It is revealed that the reason Sollux went to Eridan’s specific café, is because he wanted to see Eridan. He came at that time cause there wouldn’t be many other people around. He got the info from Aradia   
  


 

Chapter Plan: First Arc   
  
\- Chapter 1:   
\- This piece of shit excuse for an attempt at literature is going to begin with Eridan (our lovely protagonist) and Feferi (a bot that I am using to creat plot and drama) sitting in a restaurant eating. Fef will talk about a new band that has been blowing up (guess what it’s called ::;;)) and Eridan will be tuning her out slightly. He loves her, but good cod can the woman talk.   
\- They’ll finish up their lunch, and Eridan will have to go back to work. (He has to work at some hipster café, like, it’s not even up for discussion)   
\- Talks to some people at his workplace (Kanaya)   
\- After work he gets home, talks to Fef some, ugh, life is so boring.   
\- Chapter 2:   
\- He’s our hipster college student, hellz yeah, so he goes to fucking class, ugh   
\- In class, there’s Nepeta and Equius    
\- Terezi is also in his class, gotta keep the gang together   
\- During lunch, ED and Fef meet up again, Fef gets to talking about her favorite band again, and how they’re coming to wherever the fuck they are   
\- Fef also starts talking about a girl, Aradia, a couple classes down, who had supposedly been to a bunch of their concerts before and even got a backstage pass to a few of them   
\- According to rumor, Aradia had known ‘The Psionic’ for forever, and they may even have been dating   
\- Chapter 3:   
\- Eridan, because he loves Feferi so much, works harder to be able to scrounge up the money for tickets to the show, which just so happens to be the last stop on their tour   
\- They get name stickers before the show begins... weird   
\- Chapter 4:   
\- Eridan stands beside a more than —EXIT——ED Feferi, regretting coming with her    
\- The concert goes well enough, although Eridan notices it’s not Feferi’s usual genre at all   
\- Chapter 5:   
\- Afterward, they have a surprise drawing, in which they draw 100 names and each person gets to get an autograph of their choosing    
\- Eridan’s name gets called (don’t pretend you didn’t see that coming) Feferi’s does not   
\- Fef begs Eridan to get her The Psionic’s autograph, which he does, because, if you haven’t already noticed, he is absolutely smitten with her   
\- He’s kind of a dick to Sol, so Sol is kind of a dick in return, they may or may not get in a low key fight, Eridan ends up hating him    
\- He angrily returns with Fef’s autograph, when she asks what’s wrong, he complains, a lot   
\- Chapter 6:   
\- From that point on, Eridan refuses to have anything to do with The Ancestors, Feferi gets mad at him for being difficult and unreasonable    
\- There is evidence that they start drifting apart   
\- Eridan is working a shift when none other than The Psionic himself walks into the small coffee shop, he is in full costume after having just finished a show, and stirs up a small disturbance in the shop (not many of the moody hipsters that go there know him, but he still looks weird as fuck with all his makeup and everything on)   
\- Sol is on a ‘date’ with Aradia, really they are just friends, but the others don’t know that, neither does the reader ;)   
\- Eridan and Sol end up arguing again, and at this point they learn each other’s names, Sol by Eridan’s name tag and Eridan because Sol tells him   
\- Sollux and Aradia don’t hang around long, but they are there long enough to make Eridan pissy for the rest of the day and give him things to tell Fef when he gets the chance.   
\- Chapter 7:   
\- After a cool off talk with Kanaya, Eridan gets home and texts Feferi   
\- He tells her all about what had happened and her emotions waver between being totally excited that Sol was there and knew Aradia, and being mad at Eridan for being a douche   
\- Feferi was also surprised that Eridan knew Sollux’s name, as none of the band members had shared their real names anywhere and they were (roommates) nearly unrecognizable when they were out of costume   
\- Given the idea by the fact that no one knew any of the band members real names or faces, Eridan decides to search up Sollux on Bubblr, it was quite a unique name after all   
\- After a little searching, he stumbles upon ‘twinArmageddons’ who’s real name is marked as ‘Sollux Captor’ he looks at the few pictures they have and, though it wasn’t exactly obvious at first, ‘Sollux Captor’ was definitely The Psionic    
\- Chapter 8:   
\- A couple of days pass and Eridan does nothing with his information, he actually starts to forget the entire ordeal, a couple of times he considers messaging ‘twinArmageddons’ but decides that would probably be stupid and problematic   
\- After two weeks of same old same old, the events have almost completely slipped from Eridan’s mind, that is, until they’re brought up again, albeit in a more subtle and cunning way   
\- Feferi invites Eridan over for movies, he’s excited to go, as he had not had one on one time with his friend in too long   
\- When he gets there, however, he finds Aradia, who Feferi had, unbeknownst to Eridan, befriended    
\- Eridan didn’t understand it at first, he had never noticed Feferi take much of an interest in the young, rich Aradia, it’s not like they had disliked each other or anything, it’s just that they never seemed to care about each other one way or the other, it’s not like their friendship was impossible either, it was entirely plausible, it’s just that Eridan had been under the impression that he was the only one Fef needed, it stung a bit   
\- He didn’t understand it, until he realized what it really was, Feferi wasn’t actually friends with Aradia, she was just using her to get closer to Sollux   
\- Eridan didn’t like that revelation, not because he had a problem with Feferi manipulating someone, he couldn’t care less, but just because he knew the strategy would work, he knew that she would manage to worm her way into Sollux’s life and he knew that he would be stuck along for the ride   
\- The movie night wasn’t so bad, but Eridan ended up leaving early, because of ‘things’ he had to do, really, he just felt kind of uncomfortable, he didn’t know Aradia well and he felt a little strange being the only boy there    
\- Eridan left Feferi’s house, but made sure to stop by the store on his way home to get something to drink >;]   
\- Chapter 9:   
\- Once he got home, he cracked open the alcohol, because fuck yeah, he was 22, and this was America    
\- After he had a good amount of bad decisions coursing through his system, he decided to do what he previously had not done for the sole fact that it was a *stupid idea*   
\- Eridan texted Sollux    
\- Note to me (obviously, this is a private note (until I decided to share it like the attention whore I am)) make sure Sol mentions ‘TZ’ in the conversation, ooh, shit happens   
\- As Eridan texted a very confused synth player he was quick to reveal his identity, for better or for worse (I’ll give you a hint, it was the latter) they got into *yet another* argument, though this one was fueled in part by good ole liquid mistakes    
\- Halfway through, however, the conversation took a turn (almost as if one of the people having said conversation had *bipolar disorder*) and Sollux started begging Eridan not to leak his identity, Eridan was confused, but still kinda pissed, so he didn’t go down without a fight   
\- In the end, they made a deal that Eridan would keep his identity a secret as long as Sollux was willing to meet and befriend Feferi, that in mind, they set up a meeting, it would be Sollux, Aradia, Feferi, and Eridan (although he only agreed to tag along to make sure Sol was actually there and also cause he was still fucking hammered)   
\- Chapter 10:   
\- Eridan woke up, regretting being born, with a hazy recollection of what had happened the night before   
\- After rereading all of the messages he and Sollux had shared, all he could do was sigh and hate life, this was a bad idea and he knew it   
\- He told Feferi about it, which was a reaction to behold, really, then had nothing to do except wait for the day to come    
\- He went to classes like normal, though when it came time for lunch and he saw Feferi again she could not have been happier with him, she was more loving and friendly toward him than she had been in a long time, and he started to think that maybe be his intoxicated decision hadn’t been a terrible one   
\- Yeah, needless to say, he rethought that real quick when the day actually came   
\- For Fef’s sake he tried his best to play nice, but it was very difficult when Sollux took every chance he got to embarrass or insult the poor Ampora    
\- For most of the day, in which they get food, see a movie, walk around, and shop a small bit, Eridan stays relatively quiet and broods a fair bit   
\- Every time Feferi would go to ask him what was wrong, she would get quickly distracted by Sollux, and the two were already getting along *swimmingly*   
\- Eventually Eridan got fed up with Sollux’s teasing, and, against his better judgment, snapped at him before storming away   
\- Eridan was left to walk home alone, despite how far from his home they were, as, of course, Feferi didn’t follow him   
\- When Eridan got home he went straight to his bed and collapsed, pretty damn done with life, as the experiences he had gone through that day had worn him the fuck out, he slept, in all his clothes and everything   
\- Chapter 11:   
\- He woke up with a headache, and this time it wasn’t alcohol induced, no, this headache was just *pain* induced    
\- He looked back on the day before, wondering what Fef saw in that absolute assbag, as it was obvious as the fucking sun in the sky that she was crushing on him, probably just cause he was a band member    
\- He also wondered why she had not followed him, where she was, she was supposed to be there for him, they had been friends forever and that’s what best friends did, however she was not, she was with Sollux, and she continued to be over the course of that week, Eridan barely saw her at all, he was falling dangerously    
\- After a week, Feferi texted Eridan, she said she was sorry and that she had been busy and hadn’t been able to see him, Eridan knew she was lying, but he still immediately forgave her, dumb bastard that he was   
\- To make it up to him, she said, she invited him to a party she was throwing, one of those classic college dorm parties with plenty of liquor, stupid games that would put you in compromising positions, and that one guy you always find the morning after, naked in the hallway, sounded good to Eridan    
\- Again, he *knew* Sollux was going to be there, he went anyway though, for Fef he told himself    
\- Eridan got there and quickly realized that Sollux had managed to drag along all the other band members   
\- After some introductions, yelled over loud music, the real fun began, if you could call it that, also, Eridan was pretty sure Gamzee was selling weed (he most definitely was)   
\- Eridan had gotten tricked into playing Twister and he immediately disowned himself, he didn’t deserve his family name, not after that harrowing experience    
\- The first round was Eridan vs Karkat, otherwise known as, ‘getting cussed out for barely moving’, Eridan won anyway   
\- The second was Sollux vs Nepeta, a nice friendly match of ‘Nepeta could have easily won but she threw the round because she wanted her damn Erisol’   
\- See, up until this point, dear sweet Eri has been fine, but this is an Erisol fic, and that’s what you fuckers came to see, so now we have Eridan vs Sollux   
\- So, many compromising positions, a few insults, a lot of blood rushing places it should NOT have been rushing, and much intensified wonking later, Eridan desperately needs a drink   
\- After a couple shots of... well... *something* (he wasn’t really sure what) Eridan was fired up and ready to continue the festivities    
\- Oh dear god, no, author please, you can’t, ooooooooh but yes I can ::;;) spin the bottle   
\- Now, I know how you think this is gonna go, but hoo boy do I have shit in store for y’all motherfuckers   
\- Strip spin the bottle, either you have to kiss whoever the bottle lands on, or you discard and article of clothing, oh joyous jegus    
\- Like any good Erisol fic, Eridan spins the bottle and it lands on Sollux, however, even being a bit tipsy, Eridan doesn’t want to kiss him, so instead of speaking, he just chucks his shirt off and to the side (note how Sollux’s eyes scan his body)   
\- More shenanigans ensue   
\- Half the people are almost fully naked (including Eridan himself) and the game continues    
\- Sollux spins, it lands on Feferi, he wastes no time is kissing her, she kisses back, this is not a typical ‘spin the bottle kiss’ this is an actual kiss, everyone feels a little uncomfortable, Eridan is unable to can, he just... *cannot* He storms out    
\- His over emotional state of drunken mind does not help at all, and he attempts to walk out of the party, ignoring the fact that he’s only wearing his underwear and one sock, somebody in trashy anime shades comments this and Eridan just flips him off on his way out   
\- Eridan managed to make it back to his dorm, but not his bedroom, he collapsed on the couch   
\- Chapter 12:   
\- He woke up with his worst headache yet, a pain and booze headache, and vowed to never drink again (Yeah fucking right)   
\- Quite a few things from the party were blurry in his mind, but he saw one thing crystal clear: the kiss   
\- He had known Feferi liked Sollux, but he had no idea that he liked her back, and as much as he wanted to believe it was just the whisky talking, he knew they had both meant that kiss seriously    
\- He nursed his hangover as he wallowed in self pity    
\- A few days passed and it was Monday, this time Eridan was the one to confront Feferi    
\- He didn’t do it in person, he couldn’t, too many wild emotions, but he texted her during their lunch break   
\- He didn’t talk about any of the important stuff, it was just a very awkward and tense conversation about how his clothes were still at her house    
\- During the conversation Eridan also learned that Feferi and Sollux had started dating    
\- He ended the conversation feeling even worse than before    
\- At school, Feferi wasted no time resuming her friendliness toward Eridan   
\- Chapter 13:   
\- Months passed and it seemed, at least on the surface, as though everything was fine, an outsider looking in would say that little had changed    
\- Everything was not fine though, because even though they seemed like best friends, Eridan and Feferi had never been farther apart   
\- At school they acted how they always had, and Feferi would bring Eridan along to each and every one of The Ancestors’ local mini performances (ones that they often did between albums) but they were far from what they had been, she never invited him over to her house anymore, or texted him when they were apart, and Eridan often had to stand in the background after concerts and watch as Feferi and Sollux acted disgustingly lovey dovey    
\- His interactions with Sollux were always short and hostile, and they had even gotten into a couple fist fights (always broken up by Feferi)   
\- Time continued on like this for a year and a half, a year and a half of this unchanging agony, Eridan got his degree and worked as he took a break from school for a while, Feferi and Sollux stayed together as she too earned her degree, and The Ancestors finally finished a new album, despite all this, things seemed aggravatingly stagnant, Eridan wished for something to change   
\- Chapter 14:   
\- And change it did   
\- The first part of the change, the less substantial part, though Eridan thought it important at the time, was that Feferi was tagging along for The Ancestors’ tour, and Eridan, as her faithful dog, was coming too   
\- The second, far more important part of the change was entirely an accident    
\- As Eridan was driving Feferi to the airport, he was ranting about how this was a bad idea and how Sollux was a bad idea   
\- He had mentioned these topics to Feferi before, but this was the first time he had actually spoken what was truely on his mind    
\- Feferi was getting angry with him, getting fed up with him, he was more trouble than he was worth   
\- They were in the middle of an argument over Sollux and Eridan slipped up, he stopped paying attention to what he was doing for just a second too long   
\- Chapter 15:   
\- Eridan woke up in a hospital bed, his entire body aching    
\- He remembered the events and immediately asked about Feferi   
\- At first, everyone withheld information, as they did not want to jeopardize Eridan’s already precarious health   
\- Sollux came in to see him then, and he couldn’t have been more surprised, Sollux was more quiet and civilized than he had ever been, all he wanted to know was the story, he asked Eridan to tell him as much as possible, which Eridan did   
\- In his lapse, Eridan had driven through a red light and right into the traffic    
\- The last thing he saw was Feferi’s angry and distressed face, silhouetted by a large truck that was approaching from her side   
\- Crash   
\- Chapter 16:   
\- Later, when he had healed some, he found out from the nurses that some of his internal organs had been badly damaged and that they had to perform surgery on him, he now had a long thin scar that ran along the lower part of his torso, he also found out that his lungs had been damaged and that he would have permanent breathing problems    
\- The most substantial news, however, was about Feferi, the nurses told him that she had been killed on impact    
\- The information didn’t seem to process in Eridan’s brain, he didn’t know how to cope with the news, Feferi, his best friend, was dead, she was dead because of him, he had killed her   
\- Eridan didn’t see or hear from Sollux at all for the rest of his stay at the hospital, thought a couple other band members, like Karkat, came to see him, he tried to get information about Sollux out of them, but it wasn’t easy   
\- ~~Pale Erikar~~   
\- Karkat, with his humongous fucking blood pusher, felt more than bad for Eridan, he knew the man was hurting immensely, so in an attempt to help him, Karkat offers for Eridan to follow the original plan and come with them on tour   
\- Eridan accepts, glad for the distraction    
\- Chapter 17:   
\- The flight isn’t terrible, but Eridan has to sit next to Sollux   
\- They don’t fight, to everyone’s immense surprise, and are actually quiet the entire trip, too quiet    
\- At one point, cause the fuc is half over and there’s literally barely been any Erisol, Sollux falls alseep and, like the shitty romcom (maybe without mucha the ‘com’ though) this is, his head finds it’s way to Eridan’s shoulder.   
\- Here’s where shit begins   
\- Eridan starts to have feelings (hoo boy! HERE WE GO FUCKERS, STRAP IN)   
\- For the rest of the long flight he’s feeling REALLY weird, conflicted, he hates Sollux, right? Sollux is totally a dick to him, he has every reason to hate Sollux, but the lanky man is so cute with his head rested lightly on Eridan’s shoulder (the drool is less than attractive, but that’s fine)   
  


  
Chapter Plan: Second Arc   
  
\- Chapter 18:   
\- They land in California for their first stop, the very first thing Eridan realizes: he loves California    
\- The tour doesn’t start immediately, they wanted a couple weeks to just hang in Cali (even though the tour had already been delayed due to, you know, the fucking death of The Psionic’s girlfriend)   
\- The band, knowing of Sollux and Eridan’s precarious relationship, make sure not to room them together in the hotel, opting instead to put Sollux with Aradia (who had also come along for the tour, she was kinda slowly being introduced as a new member of the band) and Eridan with Vriska   
\- Clearly they did not think this through   
\- Chapter 19:   
\- It’s soon discovered that Eridan and Vriska hate each other, they hate each other maybe more than Eridan and Sollux hate each other (shocker, I know)   
\- Eridan tries to put up with it for a couple days, but his new darker depression is definitely not helping things    
\- He gets fed up   
\- He’s not sure really where to go, he wants to go to Karkat, ask to room with him instead, but Karkat is rooming with his boyfriend and there is no way Eridan is stupid enough to risk the scarring that could occur if he did that   
\- Gamzee and Tavros are also not an option, as they’re together also   
\- Guess who that leaves   
\- Eridan is forced to go to Sollux   
\- As much as he hates the guy, he also kinda likes him and there’s nothing worse than Vriska    
\- There’s only one problem with this, Sollux hates Eridan    
\- Eridan has to beg Sollux just to keep the man from slamming the door in his face, and even after he gets Sollux to let him room there and let Aradia go to Vriska, Sollux refuses to talk to him   
\- Chapter 20:   
\- Until one day when, for some unknown reason (bipolar) Sollux snaps   
\- He ends up screaming at Eridan, blaming him for Feferi’s death and everything    
\- Eridan wants to argue against what Sollux is saying, to disagree with him, but there’s the problem, he doesn’t    
\- Eridan agrees with Sollux, thinks what he’s saying is true, but he still puts up a hostile front, arguing back against the man   
\- That night, Eridan is falling further, he lays still, head spinning, nausea setting in, (almost) silently crying   
\- Sollux can hear him   
\- Chapter 21:   
\- Lots of dicking around in L.A.   
\- Eridan is having fun, or looks like he is at least   
\- He’s hiding a lot of emotion, an actor for sure    
\- Because it would be nothing if this chapter was all fucking around in L.A., let’s add our first smut(ish) scene! Yay, my fucking favorite    
\- Sooo, you know how Eridan and Sollux are staying in the same room now? Hehehe…   
\- That day they went to a sauna, which was 11/10    
\- Now, Eridan is left laying awake in bed late at night, visions of a mostly nude Sollux running through his head, and a little bit of alcohol running through his bloodstream    
\- It’s late and he’s pretty sure Sollux is asleep, so he decides to do something very stupid   
\- Ah jacking it while your mortal enemy who you also sort of have a crush on is laying in a bed not too far away, Eridan’s favorite activity    
\- After doing that, Eridan cleans up and falls asleep    
\- Chapter 22:   
\- Finally, the actual tour starts up   
\- After a bit or organizing and shit, it’s decided that Eridan shouldn’t be left alone and will tag along    
\- When he gets there, it’s unlike anything he’s experienced before    
\- First tho f they have to do, makeup, they have multiple special effects artists there for the main parts (grey skin, horns, etc) but it seems that they only have one girl there for makeup; Rose   
\- The fucking girl from the cafe    
\- There was also someone else from the cafe, someone who apparently worked wardrobe    
\- Kanaya   
\- Eridan, predictably, freaks the fuck out   
\- Kanaya explains that she was rather recently hired and that all the shifts she missed at the cafe, she was helping the band (who she met through Rose, who had been working for them for a long time)    
\- Eridan heats a tapping sound behind him, then, “Eridan?”    
\- He turns at the familiar voice, and sees Terezi, who explains (after his questioning) that she works as part of the band’s managing force    
\- Eridan steps out, trying to calm down and wrap his head around everything   
\- Outside, he finds Gamzee (definitely smoking weed) and (of course) Sollux   
\- When he sees Sollux he’s tempted to go back inside, but decides against it (he’s gonna have to face the guy some day, why not today?)   
\- Eridan starts up a conversation, which is awkward at first, then dips toward angry, then falling into tiredly friendly   
\- Both are tired of fighting, it is very draining after all, but they can’t help the way they seem to find new exciting things to hate about each other constantly    
\- They (both of them, Hehehehe) also can’t help the way their heart jumps whenever the other does anything    
\- Chapter 23:   
\- Everything from this point onward will be in Sollux’s point of view unless stated otherwise    
\- The finishing up of getting ready, then on to the show   
\- I’ll describe again what they do on stage, cause it’ll be different this time, but I’ll be sure to include the fact that Sollux can’t stop thinking about Eridan   
\- Sol will be just a little more nervous that usual, on account of a certain person’s eyes on him   
\- Only Eridan will notice    
\- Chapter 24:   
\- They don’t spend much more time in California, getting on a tour bus (to Eridan’s surprise and discomfort) to travel   
\- Sollux secretly feels bad for Eridan, as the man is a little less trusting of cars and buses now   
\- After everyone is packed up and everything is ready to go, they’re off   
\- Chapter 25:   
\- Just little interesting things that happen while they’re on the road   
\- Kinda a filler   
\- Chapter 26:   
\- There’s a lot of room for cute moments while they’re in the road, so maybe two chapters of this   
\- They’re kinda discovering their feelings for each other   
\- Chapter 27:    
\- The entire time, Eridan had slowly been introduced to the fans through social media   
\- Now, he is being formally admitted as a member of the group   
\- They have a long discussion, without Eridan knowing, about whether or not he should be a member and what he would do and everything    
\- The fans seem to like him and everything seems set for him to be introduced in the next album   
\- Karkat tells Eridan about this, Sollux listens in   
\- His heart plummets when he hears Eridan decline the offer   
\- Show business seemed like such an ‘Eridan’ thing, why on earth would he say no?    
\- Chapter 28:    
\- The end of the tour is nearing, so the guys decide they should celebrate   
\- This is finna be a good chapter m8s   
\- They rent a nice house in New York, only for a couple days    
\- It’s not exactly a party, but everyone who works with the band is there (which just about everyone Eridan knows, Sollux guesses by watching the stunned man)   
\- There’s alcohol obviously, because it’s awesome   
\- Sollux doesn’t drink much   
\- Eridan, on the other hand, is absolutely smashed    
\- Eridan begins to flirt with... kinda of everyone actually    
\- He makes his way to Sollux after a good while of attempting to whore himself out    
\- At this point, Sollux has seen what Eridan was doing   
\- Jealousy was dripping in his heart, and even when Eridan started flirting with him, he felt sick   
\- He hated acknowledging the jealousy, but it was there, he also hated acknowledging the fact that, even though he now knew that Eridan was a slut when he was drunk, Sol liked the flirting    
\- It seemed like Eridan was flirting with Sollux more than anyone else, after leaving and coming back again a couple of times, and after a little while, Sollux couldn’t take it   
\- He led Eridan away, pretending that he was tired and that he was going to force Eridan to rest since he was fucked over   
\- He did nothing of the sort   
\- Chapter 29:   
\- He had been planning on doing what he said, maybe after confronting Eridan and a quick wank, but he ended up doing something a *little* different   
\- Once they were close to the bedrooms and away from prying eyes and ears, Sollux began getting on to Eridan for his behavior    
\- Eridan didn’t like (or really understand, I’m his drunken state) the scolding, so he decided instead to keep up his amorous advances    
\- Sollux began to break as Eridan pushed closer, and eventually they locked lips    
\- Sollux was overwhelmed by the sensation, his thoughts melting to nothing    
\- At first he didn’t respond, but after he regained his ability to function, he kissed back   
\- The exchange escalated quickly after that, the two finding their way to Sollux’s bedroom    
\- *smut scennnneeee* (Sollux tops)   
\- Eridan passes out soon after they’re done, Sollux doesn’t    
\- After a brief moment of ‘OhFuckWhatHaveIDone’ Sollux cleans up and pulls the classic ‘blow your load and hit the road’    
\- Chapter 30:   
\- Sollux wakes up with a headache after a short and stressful sleep in Eridan’s room   
\- He snoops around only a bit before he starts feeling a little bad about it   
\- As much as he doesn’t really want to be in Eridan’s room anymore, he also doesn’t want to see Eridan    
\- He eventually leaves, vetoing going to his own room in favor of trying to avoid the man he had fucked last night and going to get breakfast    
\- When he gets to the kitchen, he finds that most people are passed the fuck out from last night, but one of the few awake is the second last person he wants to see; Rose Lalonde   
\- He tries to avoid conversation with her, but he can’t, and she can read him just as well as he predicted   
\- She quickly learns too many of his secrets, things that even he didn’t know about himself   
\- After Sollux’s extensive conversation with the goth girl, Eridan comes down to the kitchen, sleepy and hungover, smelling the food Sollux was making   
\- “Sol? Are you makin’ food? Can I havve some?”   
\- Sollux is weaker to this more helpless Eridan than he wants to be   
\- As Eridan is eating, Sollux can’t help looking at him and wondering if he regretted the previous night or not.   
\- Chapter 31:   
\- The very last concert of the tour is now over, and Sollux if left feeling a little hollow (which isn’t uncommon, but it’s worse this time)   
\- Sollux briefly catches Eridan looking at him strangely, but he can’t figure a reason for it (ED’s in lovve!)   
\- Sollux can’t stop thinking about how Eridan is about to leave. He doesn’t want the man to. But Eridan has to   
\- After a short congratulatory speech, the people acknowledged that Eridan has to leave   
\- Just a little bit of planning later, and Eridan is ready to get on his plane   
\- After Sollux has a near mental breakdown in the bathroom, he does something unexpected (at least, Eridan wasn’t expecting it   
\- Before Eridan skipped off to board, Sollux wrapped him in a tight hug   
\- Now, at that point, the rest of the group had already taken their turns hugging and saying their goodbyes, but from Sollux? The two had been nothing but terrible to each other the entire time!   
\- As soon as Eridan’s flight was called to board, the two split apart. Eridan was going to say something to Sollux, but Sollux walked away as quickly as he could. He couldn’t handle this right now    
\- A little later and Eridan is gone. Sollux is laying awake in bed, trying, but failing, to get to sleep. The aching in his chest is greater than he thought it was going to be. He just couldn’t stand being away from Eridan since they had been together for so long before that. Since he had liked Eridan since they first met. Everything about the young man’s fire made Sollux want him. Now, Sollux was missing him and wanting him more than ever.   
\- Chapter 32:   
\- Four months later, and Sollux still can’t get Eridan out of his head. He’s realizing that when people say ‘you won’t know what you had till it’s gone,’ they weren’t kidding.   
\- The group was traveling, taking a break from writing music, and occasionally doing concerts in out of the way places. Eridan finds out from the rest of the group that they’re going back to Eridan’s home town   
\- Sollux, of course, freaked out when he found out. He might get to see Eridan again! Up until that point, he had very minimal contact with Eridan. They texted sometimes, but not as much as Eridan and the rest of the group. Sollux was supposed to hate him, after all. And it’s not like could just tell Eridan that he didn’t hate him. All he hoped to get out of this meeting was closure.   
\- When he hears, he tries to act nonchalant, but does a pretty shoddy job. Gamzee and Karkat share a look.   
\- Sollux immediately goes to text Eridan, though he figures out that the man already knows. He tries to (slyly) get information out of Eridan. If he’s coming. If he’s bringing anyone. Stuff like that.   
\- Suddenly, Sollux has, what he thinks, is a foolproof idea. Another drawing (this time for a person to get to spend the day with band member of their choice)   
\- He discusses it with the others, and they agree.    
\- (A small scene that’s not really Sollux’s POV, but shh) Karkat, Gamzee, and Rose all laughing at Sollux once he’s gone. He’s so fucking desperately obsessed, and those three know it (well, Gam doesn’t really, but, as KK’s bff, he had heard a lot about it)   
\- Chapter: 33   
\- The concert is starting soon, and the names have been drawn. Now is Sollux’s time to shine. He’s not a dishonest person usually, but he has to make absolutely sure that Eridan’s name is drawn. So he rigs it.   
\- Rose approaches him before the show begins, pulling him aside to talk to him. He talks about what she knows. She knows Sol is horns over heels for Eridan, she knows Sollux is hoping to see Eridan, and she knows Sollux rigged the draw (She also knows that Eridan likes Sollux, but she neglects to mention that). She does warn Sollux though, that Eridan might not choose him to spend a day with. She doesn’t want him to get his hopes too terribly up.   
\- Sollux goes onto stage, feeling hopeful, but anxious. It doesn’t help that he knows Eridan is in the crowd, which has always made him more nervous than he should be   
\- Midway through the show, he locks eyes with Eridan. His heart skips   
\- He stumbles over himself, a small mistake that really only Eridan notices (since Eridan has seen the show so many times)   
\- Eridan laughs at him, and Sollux just about dies, trying his best to impress the man for the rest of the show (Eridan is impressed)   
\- Chapter 34:   
\- The concert ends, and now it’s time for the drawing   
\- Gamzee announces it, rather than Karkat, as the man is currently too busy laughing his ass off in the corner, Tavros patting him on the back   
\- Sollux, as per request, reads the names. Eridan’s name is called (obviously, since Sol rigged it)   
\- Sollux watches Eridan carefully as he reads the names, and he gets a good reaction. Eridan is obviously happy, and looks a little (love) struck (Karkat laughs harder)   
\- A little while later, and the VERY excited people who had been drawn were waiting to see the band members. Sollux was almost as excited as those people himself.   
\- Here was the part that Sollux was scared of. Each person now got to choose who they wanted to spend a day with. To his great relief though, Eridan chooses him (almost blurting out his nickname for Sollux, but catching himself and saying his stage name)   
\- Another problem arises, however, as Eridan isn’t the only one who wants to spend the day with The Psionic. Sollux suggests another drawing, which they do. Only Eridan isn’t the one who wins.    
\- Sollux wasn’t allowed to read the names (because he might have been partial to one or the other, said Karkat with a shit eating grin) (your boyfriend is rubbing off on you, faggot, replies an irked and embarrassed Sollux) Karkat read the names instead. Pulling a name, he reads, “Eridan Ampora” then passes the paper to Sollux. The paper doesn’t have Eridan’s name on it.   
\- Everyone else picks their poison, the. They are told where to go and what time, and the group disperses (but not without some Erisol interaction(and Eridan asking Sollux not to come dressed as The Psionic))    
\- Sol and Kar talk after, Sollux thanking him, and Karkat laughing at Sollux   
\- Chapter 35:   
\- Sollux arrives to their meeting spot early and antsy. He’s dressed up, but not so much that’s it’s too noticeable.   
\- After a little waiting, Eridan shows up, and Sollux sees that Eridan dressed up a little too. Eridan definitely looks better than the last time Sollux saw him, not only because of the nice outfit and nicely done makeup, but it looked as though he might have been progressing in crawling out of the depression he had fallen into. Sollux wondered if Eridan had missed him at all. From the look of it, he hadn’t, which made Sol a little sad   
\- They both try to hide their excitement at seeing each other again, both just barely managing    
\- They quickly fall into natural conversation, mouthing off to each other slightly, but not wanting to truly offend the other   
\- As Eridan is the guest, he gets to decide where they go first. He chooses the Aquarium    
\- Sollux remembers Eridan talking about the sea all the time, and meets Eridan’s choice with fondness    
\- (Shenanigans at the aquarium)   
\- Note to self: insert a sea men joke somewhere    
\- At the aquarium, they have a ship that they allow people to walk around and take pictures on, and Eridan is very excited to show Sollux around and take many pictures    
\- Sollux flirts with him as subtly as he can, and Eridan flirts back without really even realizing it   
\- On a certain part of the ship, Eridan is ‘posing’ (accidentally) and Sollux sees perfection, a sea faring man Eridan definitely is. He sees who Eridan would be if he was a member of the band   
\- After the aquarium, Eridan takes Sollux to his very favorite restaurant: Prendre la Fuite   
\- There, Eridan gets emotional. He hadn’t been there since Feferi, but he wanted to go there now with Sollux   
\- Sollux mistakenly asks why Eridan chose him to spend a day with. He would have thought Eridan would choose Karkat.   
\- Eridan is reluctant to say, and when Sollux pushes him, he gets defensive    
\- They get into, yet ANOTHER fight, not their first and definitely not their last    
\- This fight ends a little differently though   
\- Sollux has always kind of liked their fights, they were invigorating, and this time, the day, mixed with the fight, missed with how much Sollux had missed Eridan, Sollux couldn’t stop himself    
\- Midway through the argument, Sollux pushed forward and kissed Eridan   
\- Eridan was only surprised for a second, before kissing back. Like he had been thinking of the same thing    
\- It wasn’t their first kiss, but it was their first sober kiss   
\- It was great for them both (obviously)   
\- Pulling away, they were both breathless, and a little confused    
\- Chapter 36:   
\- This’ll pick up right at the end of the last chapter with Eridan a Sollux discussing feelings   
\- They get everything sorted out, then try to figure out what to do about it    
\- Eridan has to stay in college for Feferi, but Sollux can’t just wait all that time out of the band, or in the band   
\- He asks Eridan how he feels, if he really wants to finish school. Eridan doesn’t. Eventually, Sollux gets Eridan to join the band   
\- They go to tell the band, Karkat having already known, a couple not being surprised, and a couple being totally taken aback    
\- Happy ending    
\- Time skip   
\- Sollux wishes Eridan good luck with a kiss, before Eridan goes onstage    
\- A scene plays out. Enter: The Orphaner Dualscar   
\- Dualscar is a dick to Psionic, but the two share secret cute looks   
\- It’s great   
\- And, The End   


 

 

I apologize for not making my notes easier to read. I also apologize for how fucking stupid and selfish I am. Thanks and goodnight.


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